Odisha Chhena Jhili Nolen Gur Date Palm Sweet

Method

1. 1

   Make fresh chana: Boil 1 litre milk. Add lemon juice. Curdle. Strain through muslin. Rinse under cold water. Hang 30 minutes.

2. 2

   Knead chana: Knead drained chana for 5 minutes until smooth. Add maida. Knead 3 more minutes until firm.

3. 3

   Shape into flat discs: Divide into 20 portions. Roll into balls. Press into flat discs about 4 cm wide and 7 mm thick.

4. 4

   Make nolen gur syrup: Dissolve nolen gur in water over medium heat. The syrup will be dark brown, fragrant and distinctly different from sugar syrup. Add cardamom. Keep warm.

5. 5

   Shallow fry the discs: Heat oil in a flat pan on medium. Fry discs 2 minutes per side until golden.

6. 6

   Soak in the nolen gur syrup: Drop hot fried discs directly into the warm nolen gur syrup. Soak 15 minutes, turning once.

7. 7

   The nolen gur character: The jaggery syrup is not merely sweet — it has a distinctly caramel-smoky-floral character that regular sugar entirely lacks. The chhena jhili soaked in nolen gur has a completely different personality from the sugar syrup version.

8. 8

   Check absorption: The discs should be soaked through and golden-brown from the jaggery syrup.

9. 9

   Serve warm or at room temperature.

10. 10

    Consume within 2 days: Nolen gur preparations change flavour after 2 to 3 days.

11. 11

    Note: The nolen gur (date palm jaggery) version of chhena jhili is made exclusively during the winter jaggery season in Odisha — when the fresh date palm sap is tapped and the first golden jaggery of the season is available. The same technique of using nolen gur to transform a simple sweet into something completely distinctive is shared with Bengal (where nolen gur is used in payesh, sandesh and rasgulla). Odisha and Bengal both tap date palm trees in the same winter months along their shared coastal belt.